to think that with all the talk of benefit caps and cuts, a TRILLION national debt.11 BILLION spend on the Olympics

[therehastobemore]

is a fucking joke

FFS

yellow its too late isnt it?

But that somehow makes it worse. To have a clutch of millionaires tell me that I just have to get on with things as millions is being spent on a great big sports party is rage inducing.

When we got the bid I was happy. Yey I thought, fun at last. Something to look forward to.

It now just seems obscene. I admit that Boris's plans for a fleet of hovercraft over the thames (or whatever his latest vanity project is) and the calls for he poor old Queen to get a new boat have made it all seem worse.

Its all getting a bit pre French Revolution in my head

www.theweek.co.uk/sport/olympics-2012/43326/anger-extra-%C2%A341m-goes-olympic-opening-ceremony

therehastobemore - I never suggested that everyone could rent out their flat, did I? I said some people could. In fact, a lot of people are doing just that where I live and moving in with friends/family for a week or more. I never said it was perfect, I said it was one advantage.

The money spent on the Olympics was never going to be spent elsewhere. If it wasn't spent on the Olympics, it would have been spent on other leisure activities. That's how government budgets work, rightly or wrongly.

And when we have a shit firework display and everyone says "what a wash out"? People will just complain about that instead.

No fireworks better than shit ones! theres one saving

no no, i didnt say you did yellow - it was just your example of a benefit that i took issue with. I was hoping of more community based benefits is all

How about instead of the fireworks we all turn all the lights off for 10 minutes and look at the stars? You can't see them in London because of the light pollution.

That would be awesome. Green, gimmicky and also much more beautiful than a load of rockets unless it's cloudy

yellowraincoat, You post above is false in this instance money is being diverted.

news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/other_sports/olympics_2012/6289045.stm

Another thing that REALLY worries me, this country is a huge terrorist target, but thats ok isnt it because they have spent a good proportion of that 11 billion pounds budget on security.

It really is like a big fucking game of monopoly, but id just rather they didnt play it with my taxes

or maybe use the fireworks money to build a hospital wing and rather than stand there watching all the money going up in smoke in 20 minutes, have films showing how people will benefit from that? Theres a novel idea, they could even dress the doctors and nurses in national costume

KatieMiddleton, Great suggestion it isn't and wasn't beyond the wit of man to produce a games of quality with a budget the problem is that we are trying to play keeping up with the Jones's with the Beijing games.

The irony is that cuts to swimming pools,sports centres etc across teh country are ongoing. Anything that is 'single use' like the limousine lane and sensors should be given serious thought. The jubilee line being extended is probably financially viable. It would do a lot for the negative vibe in the UK atm to see them at least come out with some cutbacks to match what is going on elsewhere

therehastobemore, 553million on the last estimate with leave cancelled across the armed forces.

But it is a benefit to the community. A lot of people are making money from it.

You know what? You see so much money wasted every day, I suppose what I have issue with is that people are complaining about this one thing when so much is wasted elsewhere.

My partner is a lifestyle journalist. The sheer amount of shit he gets sent is disgusting. He has at least 5 smartphones. We have an ipad, 2 laptops and 4 ipods. He goes to at least 3 parties a week with food people barely touch, drinks people put down after one sip. Awards ceremonies where people are paid hundreds to perform to people who can't even be bothered to stop talking for 2 minutes.

You can argue that this stuff generates money too: my partner writes nice things about the company, people buy their stuff. But the amount wasted/spent on the Olympics is nothing compared to the money wasted on this sort of thing every year.

At least the Olympics is something everyone can enjoy and is benefiting us in some way with better facilities and infrastructure and will help to boost the economy. It's not just arse-licking a load of up-their-own-arses media twats and business idiots.

What about the economic cost when the capital grinds to a standstill under the weight of traffic etc? I for one will not be going anywhere near london during the olympics.

YY to the keeping up with the Jones' bollox. Why are we trying to emulate a country with a dodgy human rights record like China any way?

Shameful. We should be able to stand up and say, we're going to have a cracking party but we're not going to do it at the expense of everything that makes the UK the best country in the world

YANBU, scrap the bloody things. Apparently hotel and flight bookings are already down from previous years (so fewer bookings than in a non-Olypmics year), as people are staying away, afraid of massive price hikes.

Is your partner funded by the taxpayer?

At least the Olympics is something everyone can enjoy and is benefiting us in some way with better facilities and infrastructure and will help to boost the economy.

Sorry yellow but I disagree. For all the reasons already posted. Much of the promised social benefits of better facilities etc has just not happened.

He's not my "hubby" and I don't see how attacking him is relevant.

Zideq, no he's not, but then neither is a lot of the Olympics. People have been arguing that companies should spend less on them. So maybe they should spend less on that shit too. Or is that not what you were arguing?

I don't think what yellow's husband does is relevant tbh. It's not funding by the public purse so no snarking at her please.

I have family coming over to enjoy the Olympics who wouldn't normally make the trip. I will definitely be buying some Olympics souvenirs. Friends are renting out rooms during the Games and one friend of a friend has a son who is an Olympic hopeful.

Lots of positives there.

But sadly some people just like to whinge even when they have no solution to the problem and have done nothing about the problem themselves. Moan moan moan, why do you bother? Does it make you feel better?

Yes the economic situation is difficult for some, and had we known all those years ago maybe different decisions would have been made but why cant we pull together and embrace this historic event?

People are already using the watersports centre.